Bomb
by rika08
Summary: While procesing a crime scene, Lindsay discovers a bomd with thirty seconds on the timer. How far can they get from the bomb when it blows? And how long can they survive when the buildings trying to kill them? D/L
1. Chapter 1

Danny pulled the CSI SUV next to the curb and turned off the engine. He opened his door and stepped onto the wet ground. Lindsay climbed out of the passenger seat and pulled up her hood. They walked to the back of the car and retrieved their kits. Lindsay walked right off the curb, forgetting to look for puddles. The disgusting New York water slashed up on her pants and seeped into her work shoes.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Lindsay said.

Danny looked back. He immediately started chuckling. "Nice one, Lindsay. Maybe next time you should wear rain boots."

"Keep laughing Messer. What goes around comes around in the end." Lindsay said.

They walked across the street quickly. The rain pelted down on them intensely. Lindsay reached the door first. She held onto the handle and turned, waiting for Danny. He hopped the curb, rushing toward the door. Suddenly a passing car drove straight through a large puddle. The water sprayed upward, drenching Danny's back. He cringed as the ice water seeped down his back. He looked up, dripping water from his head. Lindsay covered her mouth, shaking from laughter.

"Ugh, tell me this is not happenin'!" Danny yelled.

Lindsay opened her mouth to reply, but burst into laughter. She entered the building before she got herself into trouble with Danny. Danny rushed into the building behind Lindsay. They instantly found the guarding officer. He pointed them up the stairs, relaying the direction. Lindsay started up the stairs with Danny right behind her.

"Can you believe the rain's not supposed to let up for the rest of the week?" Lindsay asked.

"And it'll be our luck to get all the cases outside." Danny replied.

Lindsay laughed, "That could just be Messer luck, cause I know Montana luck hasn't failed me yet."

"Just you wait, Montana, it'll run out eventually." Danny joked.

At the seventh floor, another officer was posted outside the door. He pointed the two CSI to the next positioned officer. They walked down the hall and found Flack inside the room. Flack looked up as Danny and Lindsay entered the room. He took a good look at Danny and tried not to laugh. Lindsay smiled and walked from Danny.

"Forget your blow dryer there, Messer?" Flack asked.

Lindsay cracked and started laughing.

"Very funny, Don." Danny said. "Whadda we got?"

Lindsay looked down at the DB. He was tall, Flacks height. Short blonde hair just starting to gray on the side. A simple gun shot to his chest had ended everything. Lindsay pulled on her gloves and knelt next to the body.

"Name's Jonathan Miller. CEO. Secretary came in at seven-thirty to give him his morning coffee and found him like this. She's the one who called us." Flack explained. He looked up between the two. "Where's Hawkes?"

"Runnin' late." Danny replied.

"Single gunshot wound to the chest." Lindsay started. She looked up at the wall. They were bare and no strange disorder. "Doesn't look like a through and through."

"This guy's got a pretty good grip on his case." Danny mention.

Lindsay looked down to the mans left hand. His fist was wrapped around the handle of a black briefcase. She moved down to his hand and slowly began prying open his fingers. "Rigor's begun to set."

"So the guy's been dead since last night." Danny said. He snapped several pictures.

Lindsay finally released the mans grip from the case. Danny snapped another picture of the case. "Let's see what this guy was protecting."

Lindsay pressed the two brass buttons on the case. Two brass locks pop out of the holes. Lindsay lifted the lid of the case and froze. "Oh my god."

"What's wrong?" Danny asked. He walked over to her side and looked into the case. "Oh hell no."

Flack looked into the case. He practically ripped the radio from his waist and screamed into it. "Get this building clear now! We've got a bomb!"

Inside the briefcase were two pipe bombs assembled together. Beside them was a black case marked C-4. In front was an alarm clock set timer, counting down. The red numbers still held thirty seconds left. Lindsay was frozen in fear, staring down at the bomb.

Danny grabbed Lindsay arm and pulled her from the bomb, "Let's move, Monroe!"

Lindsay turned and followed Danny and Flack down the back stairwell as fast as they could. With less than thirty seconds left on the timer, though, they weren't going to make it. Lindsay practically jumped down the stairs to keep up with Danny and Flack. Her heart raced frantically, anxiously awaiting the explosion.

Danny paused and look behind, "Come on, Lindsay!"

Lindsay hurried down to meet him. The red numbers on the clock reached zero. Suddenly the air exploded in a fiery heat. The building shook with the equivalence on a 6.3 quake. Glass shattered within seconds, spraying down onto anyone who was within its reach. The stairs shook viciously with a threatening crack. Danny lost his footing and slammed his head into the railing. He stumbled down the stairs into blackness.

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BOOM!!! nuf said.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny couched roughly, waking him from the darkness. Drywall and rebar slipped down beside him. Danny coughed again and slowly pushed himself to his knees. The ruble from the walls and ceiling slid off his back and joined the rest on the floor. Danny looked around slowly, trying to take in the new scene. In front of him, the stairs were cut off by the amount of ruble covering them.

"Flack! Lindsay!" Danny called. His dry throat caught the dust and sent him into another round of coughing. "Flack, Lindsay! Where are you?"

Below him, Danny could hear another person coughing from the dust. "Danny!"

"Flack? That you?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, where are you?" Flack asked.

Danny dragged himself to the edge of the stairwell. He peered over the railing. At least two flights below him, Flack was looking up at Danny. Flack stood several feet from another cut off. He didn't look too bad, one mean cut on his forehead and he was covered in dust, but he was fine.

"You alright Flack?" Danny asked

Flack nodded, "Yeah, fine. How's Lindsay?"

Danny looked above, toward the higher staircases. "I don't know. I can't see her."

"I haven't seen her down here. She has to be above us." Flack said.

"Lindsay! Can you hear me?" Danny called.

They waited for a moment in silence. Danny could hear a faint shifting above them. At first, he thought it was just ruble shifting after the explosion, but it refused to stop completely. Danny looked down at Flack but was unable to say anything when a voice broke through the silence.

"Danny?" the voice was small and faint.

Danny's head shot back up. "Lindsay? Is that you Lindsay?" Danny started climbing back up the ruble-covered staircases. He took it slow, so not to miss Lindsay or anyone else that might be up there with them. Drywall cracked under Danny's feet as he slowly made a second flight.

"Lindsay? Where are you?" Danny called.

"You see her Dan?" Flack asked.

"Not-" Danny broke off mid-sentence. Above him, several steps, the ruble shifted. Danny used the railing as his support and followed it up. He stepped down carefully and lifted the drywall off. His heart broke as his eyes fell upon Lindsay's injured body. She was lying on her side on the stairs. Her legs were completely buried under the ruble. One of the structure beams was lying across her, pinning her to the stairs.

"Lindsay! Lindsay, talk to me." Danny pleaded.

"What's going on Dan?" Flack called.

"Lindsay's hurt, bad! We gotta get her out now!" Danny answered.

Lindsay stirred for a second before opening her eyes. Danny felt a huge wave of relief filled him as he peered into her bright brown eyes. "Danny?"

"I'm right here, Linds." Danny said.

Lindsay groaned as she moved her head. "What happened?" She made a motion to sit up, but Danny held her back.

"Don't move Linds. You're pretty banged up." Danny said.

"So that why I feel so lousy." Lindsay said. She closed her eyes for a moment. Danny admired her bad attempt at humor.

"Where's Flack?" Lindsay asked.

"About four cases below you, kiddo. I'm going to try and get help to you two. Just sit tight." Flack called.

"We're not going anywhere Don." Lindsay replied.

"Make it fast, Flack." Danny called.

"You got it." Danny could hear Flack starting his decent below them. The drywall crackling, the shifting of beams and other loose debris.

Danny sighed and looked back at Lindsay. He licked his lips and knelt beside her. "Let's try an' get some of this off you. Just tell me when to stop, got it?"

Lindsay nodded, "Yeah."

Danny started lifted debris off Lindsay chest. He managed to free her arms and see a better look at her injuries. Several pieces of rebar managed to dig its way into her left arm. Her arm was also bent at an odd angle, indicating a break somewhere. Danny continued freeing Lindsay from beneath the rumble. Every so often, Lindsay groaned and Danny would stop. He moved to another spot and tried again.

Danny chucked a large piece off drywall over the railing and sighed. It seemed like hours until he'd managed to-almost- completely free Lindsay. She still remained pinned to the stairs by a large beam that was stubbornly crushing her legs and chest. Danny wasn't able to lift it on his own, but he'd managed to ease a little tension from Lindsay by placing ruble beneath the beam.

"Alright, that's all I can clear." Danny said.

"Works for me." Lindsay groaned. She leaned her head back on the stairs, wincing.

Danny stripped his jacket from his back, "Hang in there Linds." He gently lifted her head and set his jacket beneath her.

"I think the rain stopped." Lindsay said.

Danny listened for the patter of the rain, but it never came. "That would be our luck. It stops when we get inside."

Lindsay smiled, "Yeah, Messer luck must be good after all."

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Mac Taylor and Stella Bonesara pulled up across the street from the collapsing building. They hurried under the yellow police tape and joined the leading search and rescue officer under a blue canopy. To the left, beyond the tape were ambulances, treating the wounded. Firefighters emerged from within the building, bringing more wounded out and returning back in to search for survivors.

"Detective Taylor!" Sinclair called. He stood under the blue canopy, standing in front of a table of monitors.

"What's the damaged?" Mac asked.

"We've counted seven dead so far. The teams are leaving the dead, for now. We're focusing on the survivors." Sinclair explained.

"How many floors have been scouted out so far?" Mac asked.

Sinclair pointed to the screen. "This is on the second floor." He motioned to the others. "We have them on a chain. Once we get to another floor, we deploy another scout. Unfortunately, we've only got three to scout out the building."

"How many floors are there?" Stella asked. She watched the screen as the scout came to another dead body. A young woman of twenty, from the looks.

"Too many." Ma said. He turned and walked form the canopy. Stella watched him leave and quickly followed him. Mac walked to one of the fire trucks and pulled off his jacket. A firefighter handed him extra equipment.

"Mac what do you think you're doing?" Stella asked.

"We need more eyes in there, Stella. Those scouts are too slow and we could lose more people." Mac explained. He dawned the jacket and tank.

"Mac-"

"Stella, we've got three coworkers in there. I don't plan on waiting around for those scouts to find their bodies." Mac explained.

Stella nodded. "Then we stay in touch." She ran back to the SUV and pulled out a silver case. She ran back to the truck while Mac finished dressing. Stella opened the case and pulled out two headsets. She pulled one on her head and waited for Mac. As soon as Mac had finished suiting up, Stella handed him the second headset. Mac placed it over his head and positioned the mic. Stella pulled out a small camera and attached it to the headset. The screen in the case turned on. Stella's face came up on the screen.

"All set, Mac." Stella said.

"Keep tabs on the floors." Mac ordered.

"Got it."

"Mac, holdup!" They turned. Hawkes was heading down the street, caring his own equipment. "I'm going with you."

"Hawkes-"

"Mac, I didn't show up on time to the scene. I should be in there with them. The least I can do is go in there and help find them." Hawkes explained.

Stella handed Hawkes the last headset. "Be careful."

Mac nodded. He turned and headed fro the building. Hawkes followed after him. Stella watched them enter the building. Sinclair would have a conniption fit when he found out, but Stella didn't give a damn at the moment. Mac was right; three of their closest friends were inside. They didn't know if they were alive, but if they waited for the scouts, they might not be. Making your own rules was better than playing by the set rules in these cases. In Stella's opinion, anyways.

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ok, so...status of team: not good.

i own nothing


	3. Chapter 3

Mac and Hawkes entered the building. The ceiling hung by wires and cables, dangling over the debris-filled floor. Drywall and tile cracked under each step. The air was filled with dust, dirt, and hot air. Mac suspected a heating pipe had ruptured during the explosion.

"Stella, make sure the heating and electric company have shut everything off. We don't want to add to casualties." Mac said.

"_On it, Mac." _Stella replied.

Hawkes pointed to the stairwell. "There's the stairwell."

"Stella, Hawkes and I are taking the stair well up to the next floor." Mac said.

"_Copy that, Mac. Stay clear of the cables. We don't want Sinclair catching wind of this just yet."_ Stella replied.

"Copy that." Mac said. He stared up the stairs. Each footstep brought about a series of crunches and debris shifted beneath his feet. He grabbed the scorched and dusty railing to ease his accent up the stairs. The air was clouded with dust. Streams of light emerged from the broken walls.

"What's your opinion on the blast?" Mac asked, turning his back to Hawkes.

"The blast radius was large enough to cause significant damage to the lower levels of the building. Most likely risk of the upper level collapsing." Hawkes began.

"Stella, you get that?" Mac asked.

"_Sure did. You want me to relay that to Sinclair?" _Stella asked.

"Yeah. We need to check the integrity of the building. If there's any risk of it collapsing, we might to find alternative rescue options." Mac replied.

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Flack moved slowly down the stairs. His body ached all over. He'd wiped his forehead with his sleeve, leaving a trail of blood down his white sleeve. Everything around him looked the same, covered in dust and debris. It was obvious he was lost in the demolished building. Flack groaned in frustration. He had to get out, bring back help. Lindsay was trapped and hurt badly. Danny was trapped up with her but he wasn't leaving her side. It was up to Flack…and he wasn't going to let them down.

"C'mon Flack, just keep going." Flack told himself. "Linds and Danny are countin' on you. Don't let 'em down."

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yeah Flack! go! go find help!

yeah i have issues.

i own nothing


	4. Chapter 4

Danny sat on Lindsay left side. A rod lay next to her arm as a splint. He'd ripped off one of his sleeves and cut it up into strips. "Alright, last one Lindsay. Ready?"

Lindsay nodded slowly. She set her mouth firmly as Danny tied the last strip to her arm. Lindsay cried out in pain. Streams of her face near her eyes had cleaned of debris from her tears. She hated showing the pain she was in with Danny right beside her, but she couldn't hold it in when he began trying to set her arm.

Danny winced, rubbing her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He could see the pain she was in. The amount Lindsay was showing visual could only be a fraction of what she felt. The steel beam was barely holding above her body. If it slipped, it could easily crush her…and kill her.

_Come on Flack, hurry._ Danny thought. He looked down the staircase. There had to be a way to clear that.

"Whatever you're thinking Messer, don't do it." Lindsay said.

Danny looked down at Lindsay. "That's the only way out, Linds. Someone has to clear it."

"That's doesn't mean you have to risk your neck trying to get down there!" Lindsay replied. "Maybe Don's made it out?"

Danny looked down the stairs. Lindsay was right. Flack had to have found his way out by now. But even if he had, they still needed to clear a path up to them. Except Danny couldn't leave Lindsay, not in the condition she was in. Danny nodded and sat back down near Lindsay.

The silence was broken by a small sound. Danny looked around for the sound. "Do you hear that?"

"It sounds like a phone." Lindsay said.

Danny jumped up and checked his pockets, "Mine's gone."

"I left mine up in the office." Lindsay said. "It's probably blown to kingdom come now."

Danny nodded. "I'll be back." he hurried down the stairs in search of the phone. He followed the vibrations down to where he had woken. Danny flipped the debris, searching for his phone. He moved quickly, trying to find the phone before it stopped ringing. "C'mon, c'mon, keep ringing."

But his search was in vain, as the ringing finally stopped. Danny stopped searching through the debris and lowered his head. There was always the chance of it ringing again, but who knew when that would happen. Danny made his way down the stairs where he had woken after the explosion. His phone had to be within distance of his starting location. Even if he had to search step by step for his phone, Danny was going to find the damn thing.

"Hey Montana, talk to me. It's gettin' too quiet." Danny called.

"Do you know the time?" Lindsay asked.

Danny checked his watched. The face was crack, but it was still working. "It uh…comin' up on ten."

"So we've been here for almost two hours." Lindsay said. "Feels like a lot longer."

Danny kept the realistic comment of them being in there for a lot longer, but Lindsay was panicked enough for the moment. "Yeah, but when it's over, it's all a memory."

"I'll be glad for that one." Lindsay said.

"How're ya holdin' up, up there?" Danny asked. He tossed a handful of debris from the stairs over the railing. He groaned and looked to his hand. There was a deep gash crossing from his index finger down to the right corner of his palm. Now there was a large about of dust and grime in the cut, causing it to burn painfully.

"You alright?" Lindsay asked.

Danny gently closed his fist. "Yeah. Why do ya ask?"

"I heard you." Lindsay answered.

Danny laughed lightly. "You got good hearing Montana."

"No, you're just loud, Messer." Lindsay replied.

"Well don' worry 'bout me Montana." Danny said. "I've cleared several steps but I haven't found my phone yet. And I'm positive it's between you and me."

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Lindsay asked.

"I'll keep lookin'. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll be found. Or maybe it'll ring again. Either way, we need that phone." Danny explained. He started clearing the next step. "You just yell if you need help."

"Got it." Lindsay said.

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um...dunno what to say.

i own nothing


	5. Chapter 5

"Stella, we're coming up on the third floor." Mac said. The clearing was going by slowly, but it had to be done. They'd found at least thirty more casualties and ten more bodies. Each one took time to remove them from the building. Time that Danny, Lindsay, and Flack might not have.

"_Copy that Mac."_ Stella replied.

The stairs in front of them were blocked off from the pile of debris. It would take too long to clear it, or possibly cause a disturbance to the buildings structure. Hawkes walked in front of Mac. He pushed open the door to the third floor. The floor looked the same as the others, debris coating the floor, air thick with dust, limiting lighting. He entered further into the level. He checked each room, searching for more people. He found the body of a middle-aged man in his office, clearly dead.

"_Guys, we've got a situation." _Stella said.

"What kind of situation?" Mac asked.

"_Taylor, what the hell are you thinking going in there without supervision or my authorization?!" _demanded Sinclair's angry voice.

Mac looked down the hall past Hawkes. He spotted the small robot at the end, slowly rolling towards them. "I've got people in here, Sinclair."

"_So do I, but you don't see me in there with you."_ Sinclair replied.

"I'm not waiting for a robot to find my people, Sinclair. And frankly, I wouldn't do this any other way, no matter who was inside this building." Mac explained. He headed to the end of the hall.

"_Turn around Taylor, that ends blocked off."_ Sinclair ordered.

Mac stopped. "Damn. Our ends blocked off as well."

Hawkes turned to Mac. "Now where do we go?"

"MAC! HAWKES!" came a call.

Hawkes and Mac looked round for the voice. It sounded like Flack, but there was no sign of him.

"Flack?" Hawkes called.

"Up here, man!" Flack called.

Mac listened to his voice. It was coming form one of the offices. He walked into the office and looked up. Flack was kneeling by a large hole in the ceiling of the office. He looked beaten, but he was alive. "You alright Don?"

"Compared to Danny and Lindsay, I'm perfect." Flack answered.

"Where are they?" Hawkes asked.

Flack jerked his thumb up. "Upstairs. Between the seventh and six floor. But the stairs to the fifth are blocked off from the ruble."

"Do you know if they're alright?" Mac asked.

"Danny looked fine, but Lindsay…" Flack sighed. "Danny said she was hurt, bad."

"Stella, you get all of that?" Mac asked.

"_You bet. Sinclair's sending EMS crews as we speak. But Sinclair's ordered you two to wait for them."_ Stella explained.

"Fine, but they'd better hurry." Mac replied. He looked up to Flack. "Don, you think you can manage coming down?"

"Sure thing, Mac." Flack replied. He grabbed the edge of the floor and eased himself down to the next floor. "You better have Sinclair send up another team to clear the debris. If Lindsay's hurt, we can't get her down the same way."

"_Sinclair's on it, Mac."_ Stella said.

Suddenly the building began shaking. Loose debris from the hole above slid down onto the floor. Mac pulled Flack from the falling debris, waiting for the shaking to stop. The movement of the building seemed to threaten to collapse the entire building. It stopped within several minutes, thankfully.

"Stella, make sure Sinclair knows we have a time limit." Mac said.

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yeah i would do something like that wouldn't i?

i own nothing!


	6. Chapter 6

The stairwell shook with the building. Debris handing from beams and half-opened walls, clattered onto the stairway. Danny sat next to Lindsay, shielding her from falling debris. Beams extending outward shook, threatening to completely collapse. Danny kept an eye on the beam holding Lindsay to the stairs, if the debris holding it up fell, Lindsay would be in trouble. The building finally stopped shaking, but it had kicked up the dust from the debris and cause new dust to enter the air.

Lindsay coughed harshly. She winced as pain shot through her body. "We're not getting out of here, are we?"

Danny looked down at her, "Hey, don't you start giving' up."

"What if I'm just accepting it?" Lindsay asked. She turned her head to look at him. "You know as well as I, the building's not structurally sound. It's only a matter of time before it collapses. You'll be out when that happens. But me? You can't get me out, so I'm as good as dead."

"Knock it off Lindsay." Danny said.

"No! This building will collapse in close to four hours, you know that!" Lindsay explained. "You don't have to be here Danny. You still have time to get out. Just go and save yourself."

"Not a chance Lindsay." Danny answered.

"Danny, there's no point in us both dying here!" Lindsay said.

"Hey, don't talk like that!" Danny took her hand and squeezed it gently, "Hey hey, now you listen to me. Mac, 'n Stella, 'n Flack, 'n Hawkes, they're not gonna just leave us here. They're gonna get us out. Just wait 'n see, Montana."

"Wow, haven't heard that in a while." Lindsay laughed but it turned into another harsh fit of coughing.

"What?" Danny asked.

Lindsay took a breath, "Montana."

Danny laughed slightly, "Sorry."

"S'okay. To tell you the truth, I kind of missed it." Lindsay smiled.

Danny smiled, "You're a strange girl, Montana."

"Tell me something…I don't know…Messer." Lindsay gasped. She winced in pain. Her breathing became labored, contracting.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked.

"I can't….breathe." Lindsay gasped. Her hands pushed against the beam.

Danny released her hand and moved down the stairs. The debris holding the beam had slipped during the tremor, completely pinning Lindsay's body between the stairs and the beam. Danny gripped the beam and lifted with the strength he had. He managed to lift the beam several inches from her chest, but he was losing his strength quickly. With his foot, Danny slipped a chunk of steel beneath the beam and the floor. He watched it for a few seconds before he was satisfied it would hold for longer.

"Better?" Danny asked.

Lindsay gasped, nodding. "Yeah. Thanks Danny."

"Just keep hangin' in there." Danny said.

Lindsay smiled. Danny returned the smile, trying to hide behind it. The truth was, he was just as scared as her, but he couldn't let Lindsay know that. If they both lost hope, they wouldn't survive. Someone had to keep pushing them along until they were found.

"I'm scared, Danny." Lindsay said.

Danny nodded. "I know, Linds. Me too, but we're gonna get outta here. You here me? We're gonna get outta here."

Lindsay nodded slowly. Her breathing had return to normal. Well, normal for these circumstances. Danny was still concerned. He'd listened to Hawkes medical history long enough to know Lindsay was most likely bleeding internally. Just thinking that made the mental clock Danny had running, run faster."

"Alright, I'm gonna go back down and search for the phone." Danny explained. He stood from the stairs. "If that beam slips, or the buidin' starts shaking, I'm comin' back up. Okay?"

Lindsay nodded. "Maybe the tremor cleared the phone?"

"I don't think we're that lucky, Montana." Danny laughed. He started down the stairs. The debris had shifted a lot of the ruble covering the stairs. The stairs that Danny had once cleared were recovered in debris. He sighed and started uncovering them again.

"Hey Danny?" Lindsay called.

"Yeah Linds?"

"What's the time?" she asked.

Danny pulled out his watch. "Almost one-thirty."

"Kay."

Somehow, Lindsay asking for the time didn't settle well with Danny. He tossed the debris more quickly. If he didn't find that phone soon, Lindsay would mentally lose it. Not to mention that her injuries weren't any better than they'd been when they'd first been trapped. She was running out of time, fast.

Danny flipped debris as fast as he could. He'd managed to wrap his cut hand with part of his sleeve, making it more manageable to move. He sighed deeply and moved to the next step. He pulled up small pieces of steel and tossed them down. Then he caught sight of it. Danny pushed more debris from the stairs, catching sight of the black plastic mobile. Danny picked it up quickly and checked it. The phone was covered in dust and scratched to death, but it still worked.

"BOOM!" Danny called.

"What is it?" Lindsay asked.

Danny started up the stairs. "I got it!"

"Are you serious?"

"You better believe it, Montana." Danny replied. He knelt down beside her. "There, you see Linds, we're gonna let the others know where we are, and we're gonna get outta here."

For the first time in hours, Lindsay smiled. It wasn't the brave facade Danny had seen the past few times, it was a real smile. It was full of hope and life. Life Danny was planning to make sure she kept.

"A'right, now who do we call?" Danny asked.

"Stella." Lindsay answered with no hesitation.

Danny's brow shot up. "That was fast."

"Process of elimination. Mac would be one of the search and rescue to scale the building. Hawkes never showed up to the scene, so he'll join Mac. Stella would remain outside, keeping tabs of the outer works while they search. And Flack's still working to get out." Lindsay explained.

Danny laughed lightly, but heartily. Lindsay never ceased to amaze him with her details. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "You're a genius, Montana."

Lindsay said nothing, but smiled again.

Danny scrolled through his contacts for Stella's number. He pressed the green call button and waited for the call to process. Danny took Lindsay's hand, giving her a comforting squeeze while he waited.

"_Bonaseara?"_

"Buon pomeriggio Stella!" Danny said smiling.

"_DANNY!!!" _Stella screamed.

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AT LAST HOPE!!

yeah, that ain't gonna last. not with me as the writer.

i own nothing


	7. Chapter 7

Stella sat at the truck, watching Mac's camera as they continued their accent up the stairwell. Flack had waited until the rescue team reached them, before continuing out of the building. He was momentarily being patched up by the paramedics. Stella watched Mac's camera scan over the debris covering the stairs. She was impressed how Flack managed to descend the stairwell with so much debris. It also caused concern as well. If Danny or Lindsay were injured, bringing them out would make for a difficult and time-consuming task. Both of which worked against them, when the building could collapse any second.

Suddenly her phone buzzed loudly against her hip. Stella fished out her phone from her pocket and flipped it open. "Bonaseara."

"_Buon pomeriggio Stella!"_

Stella practically stood from shock. Her heart raced as she recognized the healthy voice they'd been searching for. "DANNY!!!"

"_You got it, Stell." _Danny said.

"Oh my god! How-how are you? Is Lindsay with you? Is she alright? Are you alright?" Stella demanded.

Flack joined her. "What's goin' on?"

Stella looked up at Flack. "Danny!"

Flack's eyes widened. "No way!"

Stella adjusted the phone settings. "Danny, how's Lindsay?"

"_She's pretty beat up. A beam's got her pinned between it and the stairs. I can't move it on my own. Did Flack make it out?"_ Danny asked.

"Sure did Danno. You two just hang tight; Mac an' Hawkes are workin' their way up to you two." Flack explained. "Contact Mac."

Stella nodded. "Mac, Danny just made contact with us."

"_What's his condition?"_ Mac asked.

"I'm assuming Danny's fine, because all he told me was that Lindsay's trapped beneath a beam and Danny can't move it." Stella explained. She adjusted the headpiece with the phone to make sure everyone could hear everything.

"_Tell him we've reached the fifth floor. We should be there soon." _Mac said.

"_Better make it fast Mac, we got the building wantin' to come down on us and Linds is beat up pretty bad."_ Danny explained.

"Danny, what's your exact location?" Stella asked.

"_Uh…we're on the third stairwell between floors six and seven. And the stair case between five and six is blocked off."_ Danny replied.

"_We'll deal with that. You two stay put. We're getting you out."_ Mac said.

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i own nothing


	8. Chapter 8

Danny looked down at Lindsay as Stella screamed. Lindsay laughed painfully as Danny pulled away the phone. "You got it Stell."

"_Oh my god! How-How are you? Is Lindsay with you? Is she alright? Are you alright?"_ Stella demanded.

Danny looked down at Lindsay, who was still smirking. "Sounds like someone's happy to hear from us."

Lindsay nodded. "No kidding."

"_Danny, how's Lindsay?"_ Stella asked.

Danny took a deep breath. "She's pretty beat up, Stell. A beam's got her pinned between it and the stairs. I can't move it on my own." Lindsay pulled on his arm.

"Ask if Flack made it out."

Danny nodded. "Did Flack make it out?"

"_Sure did, Danno. You two just hang tight; Mac an' Hawkes are workin' their way up to you." _Flack explained.

"_Tell him we've reached the fifth floor. We should be there soon." _Mac's voice came on the line.

"But the stairwells blocked below us." Lindsay whispered.

"Right and it'll take them time to clear it." Danny replied.

Lindsay's eyes widened. "Time we might not have with this building."

Danny nodded sternly. "Better make it fast Mac, we got the building wantin' to come down on us and Linds is beat up pretty bad."

"Danny, what's your exact location?" Stella asked.

"Uh…we're on the third stairwell between floors six and seven. And the stair case between five and six is blocked off." Danny replied.

"_We'll deal with that. You two stay put. We're getting you out."_ Mac said.

Lindsay exhaled deeply. "Thank god."

Danny nodded. "I'm gonna be doin' plenty of that once we're outta here."

Lindsay smiled. It quickly faded as the building shook again. Danny shut the phone and leaned over Lindsay again. The wall shook harder than the previous tremor, knocking more debris from the walls. Drywall and other debris slammed into Danny's back as he shielded Lindsay from it.

"Danny!" Lindsay cried.

Danny squeezed her hand. "We're gonna be fine."

The walls beside them crept lower to the stairs. The railing beside them snapped from its bolts and clattered below them to the floor. Several beams behind Danny crashed to the stairs, knocking them out entirely.

Danny heard a thundering crash above them. It sounded like another explosion. But he knew very well that it was the roof collapsing in on itself. He looked up at the floor nearest them had begun sinking closer to the ground. They had run out of time.

"Danny get of here." Lindsay ordered.

"No way, Montana." Danny replied.

Lindsay gripped his hand. "Listen to me, this place it falling apart. You don't have to be here. You can still get out!"

"I'm not leavin' you!" Danny looked at Lindsay. "I told you I'd get you outta here and I'm gonna get you outta here!"

More cracks echoed through the building. Metal clattered around them and fell passed them. Support beams gave way and new debris clouded the air. Danny felt the stairs creak downward from the stress. He held Lindsay's hand tighter. He could hear her crying out in fear, something he wished he could do. She had told him to leave her, told him to save himself. But that wasn't something he could do. That was something Danny was never going to do.

The building finally ceased it fall again. Danny leaned up from Lindsay and exhaled. That was close. Another tremor and the building would surely fall completely. Danny released Lindsay's hand and sat up completely, searching around the area.

"That was too close." Danny said. He waited for Lindsay to reply, but she didn't. Danny looked down to Lindsay and panicked.

Lindsay eyes fluttered, slowly closing. Her breathing became slow and shallow. Danny took her hand and held it tight. "Lindsay? Lindsay don't do this! Don't this now, Lindsay! Come on, Lindsay stay with me! Don't do this Linds! Stay wake! Stay awake Lindsay! Come on Lindsay stay with me, baby!"

"Danny? Lindsay?"

"Here! We're over here!" Danny cried. Lindsay still refused to open her eyes.

"We're almost there."

"Hurry, I'm losin' her, Mac! I'm losin' Lindsay!" Danny urged.

Danny could hear the debris below finally dislodged. The footsteps of the paramedics and Mac echoed up the stairs. Danny kept looking between Lindsay and the stairs, waiting for them to hurry. The paramedics made their way up the stairs to Danny and Lindsay. Mac and Hawkes were right with them. One look to Lindsay condition and everyone moved faster.

"We gotta get this thing off her!" Danny ordered.

They moved quickly, all taking a section of the beam in their hands. Two paramedics prepped Lindsay for the move. They placed a collar around her neck and attached a mask to her face. They slipped the orange gurney beneath her. One nodded to the others and they all lifted the beam up, freeing Lindsay's pinned body. Danny was forced to release Lindsay and allow the paramedics to take her through their decent through the building.

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Stella and Flack stood as they watched the rescue team emerge from the building. Six men were carrying the orange gurney that held Lindsay's battered form. Stella gasped at the extent of Lindsay's injuries. Behind the paramedics came Hawkes and Mac, with Danny! Stella and Flack quickly rushed to them. Stella hugged Danny tightly. Danny groaned painfully and Stella let go.

"I'm sorry Danny." Stella apologized.

"No, no, it's not you, Stell. Just got a little beat up. More than I realized." Danny explained. His right arm cradled his chest, most likely his ribs. He watched the paramedics place Lindsay's gurney into the back of their ambulance and close the doors.

Hawkes moved to Danny's side. "Let's get you to the van and check you out."

Danny shook his head. "No, nah, we gotta get to the hospital, Hawkes. We gotta follow them."

"Hawkes, get Danny to the next ambulance heading for the hospital. We'll meet you two there." Mac ordered.

"Mac-"

"Danny this up for discussion. Go!" Mac ordered.

Hawkes pulled Danny's arm, leading him off toward another ambulance. Mac, Stella, and Flack piled into the department van and headed for the hospital.

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yay! off to safety. now for my crappy ending


	9. Chapter 9

Lindsay lay completely still in her hospital bed. After eight hours trapped in the collapsing building, six hours of surgery to repair the internal bleeding, and nine hours of recovery time, Lindsay was already looking better. Danny had stayed beside her as soon as she'd been discharged from surgery. Of course, that was once he'd been cleared for his injuries.

Danny sat in the uncomfortable chairs to the right of Lindsay's bed. He shook his head as his eyes had begun to fall again. Danny rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He leaned his head back, finally giving up. He folded his arms across his chest and sighed.

Lindsay's heart monitor was the only sound Danny could hear. It seemed to entrance him, almost lull him. Danny felt himself slowly falling asleep. Then something woke him. It was Lindsay's heart monitor. He heard the beeping become erratic. Danny opened his eyes to see Lindsay awake.

"Hey there Montana." Danny said.

"Hey." Lindsay croaked.

"How ya feelin'?" Danny asked.

"Uh…better… I guess." Lindsay answered.

Danny leaned closer to her bed. "You definitely look better, Montana."

"Oh good. As long as I look-"

"You know what I mean." Danny said.

"Yeah I do. And I really owe you too." Lindsay replied.

"What for?" Danny asked.

Lindsay's eyes held a strong light. "For saving my ass."

Danny Sat next to her on the bed. "I wasn' about to leave you there, Lindsay."

"That's what I mean. I told you to save yourself and you stayed. You could've been safe long before me, but you wouldn't leave. Then you made sure that I wasn't going to die in there. You want me to go in?" Lindsay explained. She eased herself higher up her pillow.

Danny shook his head. "No, you don't. But I got somethin' for you to think about."

"What's that?" Lindsay asked.

Danny leaned in toward Lindsay. Their foreheads touched. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

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told ya. short AND crappy. i think that's a record for me. oh well. reviews are love for me. tell me you like this!


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